NEWSLETTER
According to the National Park Service, if you’re attacked by a grizzly bear, you should lay flat on your stomach and play dead. The Chicago Bulls took that to heart in the first half of Monday night’s game.
Despite Ja Morant being stuck in street clothes, the Memphis Grizzlies had very few problems getting downhill. Driving lanes were either wide open due to defensive breakdowns or players were being run over by a more physical Grizzlies team. Sprinkle in some wide-open 3-pointers, and all the defensive concerns many had heading into the season were playing out on the hardwood.
Jaren Jackson Jr. overpowered the Bulls’ frontcourt, while Desmond Bane looked more than comfortable against the Bulls’ disorganized backcourt. Memphis – per usual – also outhustled the competition and feasted on offensive rebounds. Before the Bulls knew it, they were down 20 points in the first half with little to no momentum. The game felt decided … but nobody told the Chicago Bulls that.
What played out over the next two quarters was pretty darn shocking. Instead of questioning their new style of play or resorting to hero ball, the Bulls simply stuck with it. They continued to sprint up and down the court. They continued to chuck up 3-pointers. They continued to trust each other. As a result, the Grizzlies’ lead started to shrink, and the Bulls found themselves right back within striking distance.
A lot of the heavy lifting was first done by the bench. A surprising lineup of Ayo Dosunmu, Dalen Terry, Julian Phillips, Patrick Williams, and Jalen Smith started to give the Grizzlies fits. Their length and quickness forced some mistakes, and they capitalized on those mistakes with some huge shots behind the arc. Jalen Smith scored 9 points in the third quarter, while Phillips followed up a momentum-shifting poster dunk with a 3-pointer to bring the Bulls within 8 points.
The Bulls’ starters would eventually take over in the fourth quarter, and they didn’t lose a step. The Zach LaVine decision-making scaries never even set in! Instead, he splashed back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Bulls the lead with 7:07 left to go. And when Scottie Pippen Jr. immediately reclaimed the lead for the Grizzlies on the other end, Nikola Vucevic stepped up and hit a 3-pointer of his own.
LaVine scored 11 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter. Chicago also got a massive boost from Josh Giddey, whose defensive focus was a legitimately important part of the Bulls pulling off the win.
As I’ve said before, winning now may feel a bit counterintuitive later in the year, but I’ll take victories like these. The Bulls did it by trusting their young players and doubling down on their new identity. Those are good things!
Speaking of which, they have now hit at least 20 threes in two of their first four games. Their 25 total made threes tonight also ties a franchise record.
Player Grades
Josh Giddey – A (Ankin Law: “Making it Personal” Player of the Game).
Stats: 12 PTS, 13 REB, 8 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK
This was easily Josh Giddey’s best game as a Chicago Bull. While he may not have had the flashiest buckets of the night, his fingerprints were all over the team’s impressive 20-point comeback victory. His control over the fourth quarter, in particular, was extremely encouraging. Whether it be locating Zach LaVine for the slam with a crazy inbound bounce pass, splashing a 3-pointer, or hitting some clutch free throws, Giddey was there when the Bulls needed him. He also used his size on the defensive end to force a few turnovers and snatch a few key rebounds. The Bulls do not win this game without Josh Giddey’s stabilizing presence.
Zach LaVine – B+
Stats: 30 PTS, 4 AST, 3 REB, 1 TOV
After failing to score his first field goal until the third quarter and coughing up seven turnovers against OKC, Zach LaVine bounced back in a big way. He hunted high-percentage buckets both on and off the ball. The constant movement offensively helped slowly wear down the Grizzlies. And, as stated above, there were no decision-making concerns late in the game! LaVine hit the big buckets and made the right decisions!
Jalen Smith – B+
Stats: 16 PTS, 7 REB, +8
The backup big man only clocked 12 minutes of action, Jalen Smith took advantage of every second. He scored a Bulls career-high 16 points and went 3-6 from downtown. While he can look a bit out of control at times, Smith’s mobility and floor spacing is proving to fit in very well with how Billy Donovan wants to play.
Ayo Dosunmu – B-
Stats: 10 PTS, 8 REB, 4 AST
After a slow start to the year, Ayo Dosunmu looked a little more comfortable on the floor tonight. We saw him take a couple of aggressive drives to the rim and show zero hesitation behind the arc. Most importantly, however, he looked for opportunities to do the little things with his ball movement and offensive rebounding.
Coby White – C+
Stats: 20 PTS, 5 AST, 2 REB
While it wasn’t the most efficient performance, Coby White is a big reason why we never saw the Bulls’ identity wavier. He continued to play uptempo and hunted his 3-point shots. White finished 5-10 from behind the arc and two of those came in the fourth quarter.
Bulls-Grizzlies Box Score
Check out the full box score here.
